In the years beforeKingdom Hearts 4, the series has thrived on its odd origins. It joined two completely disparate IPs together with great success. Over the years theKingdom Heartsgames have taken on a new identity that has begun to pull away from its Disney roots in favor of pursuing an original story that feels more comparable to itsFinal Fantasyside. What began as a light-hearted adventure to rescue the Princesses of Heart has become a far more convoluted fantasy JRPG.Kingdom Hearts 4could benefit from reclaiming some of its Disney side by bringing its more well-known and popular characters from the background to the sidelines, like Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck.
Mickey, Goofy, and Donald have always been the Disney staples, but the counterparts waiting for them back at Disney Castle have served in a similar capacity to Sora’s Kairi: always waiting for their other halves to come home. While not featured nearly as heavily in the story, Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck aretremendously well-known Disneycharacters. For most of the series, they’ve remained a part of the backdrop compared to Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. In expanding on Minnie and Daisy’s cameos, fans could reconnect with the old whimsy of the originalKingdom Hearts.
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Spotlighting Minnie as a Callback to Early Kingdom Hearts
After Mickey’s departure in the originalKingdom Hearts, and his subsequent sojourns during the other games, Minnie is left back at the castle overseeing the kingdom. Her role is also to protect the Cornerstone of Light, which shelters the castle from Heartless and other nefarious intruders. InKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, this security is bypassed by Maleficent and Pete, but after they were thwarted,Kingdom Heartshas revealed little about what has been happening to the once story-central artifact. Minnie’s role has always been to wait and keep things in order, but there’s more interesting pieces to her character thatKingdom Hearts 4can help explore, however briefly.
Part of the fun ofKingdom Heartsis that it didn’t seamlessly combine Disney withFinal Fantasy, but rather played their strengths off of one another.Kingdom Hearts 3strayed away from the old formula to focus on its Destiny Island trio and all the prominent original characters introduced since the first game. It shone brightest in the synergy between its Disney worlds and the colorful, more self-serious tones ofFinal Fantasy. In focusing once more on Disney Castle, and Minnie’s role as one of its longstanding protectors,Kingdom Hearts 4can make its Disneyheart shinethrough once more.
Daisy Duck Could Foster a New Connection to Disney Castle
Daisy Duck has always been a bit unknown. She’s really only ever seen as Donald’s significant other and a fixture at Minnie’s side during the more dire situations at Disney Castle. Fans don’t know much about her character or what she does, but shining just a little more light on her inKingdom Hearts 4could open a door into Disney Castle’s history. By giving a small bit of character focus to Daisy, the game would bring more depth to a character who has been with fans since its inception. There doesn’t need to be a big focus, but boosting a humbler character like Daisy would strengthen the world building in general, and re-establish a connection to an iconicKingdom Heartslocale.
Kingdom Heartshas a great number of recurring characters, so the series could consider not adding anyone more. This isn’t to say that new characters aren’t needed, but more that the current characters shouldn’t be left behind in favor of them. Minnie and Daisy seem like they’ll always be secondary to others, but they should serve as more than window-dressing for Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, if only because it services all characters well to be somewhat dynamic. Their position as side characters is well served, but they could benefit from just a little more emphasis, and hopefullyKingdom Hearts 4can do their small stories justice.
